update on the NOAA Climate ServicE (NCS)

1. Doug Kluck (doug.kluck@noaa.gov) NOAA NCS Regional Director – Central Region 816-564-2417 cell 816-994-3008 office update on the NOAA Climate ServicE (NCS)

2. The Rising Demand for Climate Services Commerce Coasts Recreation Ecosystems Hydropower Farming Wind Energy Private Sector “All our greatest challenges are pervasive around the globe, and all are local in their solution.” -A stakeholder from Missouri

3. Progress Since February • Interagency collaborations (DOI & USDA) • Regional Climate Services Directors hired and plans for early activities completed • Congressional requested National Academy of Public Administration Study complete • Development of draft reprogramming package • Development of Vision and Strategic Framework document • Written by NOAA senior climate science and service managers and practitioners from across the line offices October 4, 2010

4. NCS Vision and Mission • Vision • By providing science and services, the NCS envisions an informed society capable of anticipating and responding to climate and its impacts. • Mission • Improve understanding and prediction of changes in climate and promote a climate-resilient society by: • Monitoring climate trends, conducting research, and developing models to strengthen our knowledge of the changing climate and its impacts on our physical, economic, and societal systems • Providing authoritative and timely information products and services about climate change, climate variability, and impacts • Informing decision-making and management at the local, state, regional, national, and international levels The NCS delivers products and services in collaboration with public, private, and academic partners to maximize social, economic, and environmental benefits. October 4, 2010

5. NCS Objectives • Consistent with Climate objectives from NOAA’s Next Generation Strategic Plan (public comment period closed) • Improved understanding of the changing climate system and its impacts • Integrated assessment of current and future states of the climate system that identify potential impacts and inform science, services, and decisions • Mitigation and adaptation choices supported by sustained, reliable, and timely climate services • A climate-literate public that understands its vulnerabilities to a changing climate and makes informed decisions. October 4, 2010

6. NCS Core Capabilities Address Societal Challenges October 4, 2010

7. NCS Core Capabilities • Observing Systems, Data Stewardship, and Climate Monitoring • Measure, capture, preserve, monitor, and provide easy access to the historical record of the global environment. • Understanding and Modeling • Provide credible and authoritative science to advance the understanding and prediction of climate variability and change. • Integrated Services Development and Decision Support • Provide stakeholders with a platform of timely and relevant climate data, models, and information. October 4, 2010

8. Initial Societal Challenges • Climate Impacts on Water Resources • Provide coordinated and authoritative information system to guide water resource managers. • Coasts and Climate Resilience • Understand physical processes driving sea-level rise and coastal inundation, and provide best available information to decision makers. • Sustainability of Marine Ecosystems • Improve understanding of, and information about, the impacts of climate on ocean properties critical to managing large marine ecosystems. • Changes in Extremes of Weather and Climate • Develop and deliver information to prepare for and adapt to climate and weather extremes, e.g. droughts, floods, heat waves & cold snaps • Informing Climate Policy Options • Provide sound science to inform climate-related policies, plans and strategies including both adaptation and mitigation. October 4, 2010

9. Assessments • NCS will engage in three types of assessments • National and International Climate Science Assessments • Broad scope of problems and interest, broad set of peer-reviewed material (e.g. National Climate Assessment) • Problem-Focused Climate Science Assessments • Often time-sensitive, address issues at local and regional levels (e.g. Devil’s Lake) • Needs Assessments • Help to identify gaps in science, understanding or services, including helping frame & inform other assessments. http://globalchange.gov/publications/reports/scientific-assessments/us-impacts October 4, 2010

10. Partners • Partners from across the broader climate community both contribute to and benefit from the core capabilities • Other parts of NOAA, federal, state, tribal and local agencies, cooperative institutes and other academic partners, the private sector, and the international community October 4, 2010

11. NOAA Weather and ClimateServices Continuum High Freq of Information Low Freq of Information Short Lifetime of Product Long Lifetime of Product NWS NCS October 4, 2010

12. Next Steps • Submit a reprogramming package to OMB • OMB has approved document with few changes • Next to engage Congress • Pending approval, implement the NCS, spring 2011 October 4, 2010

13. Regional Climate Service Directors Doug Kluck Kansas City, Missouri DeWayne Cecil Salt Lake City, Utah Ellen Mecray Bohemia, New York James Partain Anchorage, Alaska David Brown Fort Worth, Texas John Marra Honolulu, Hawaii October 4, 2010

14. Regional Priorities • Organize two regional collaboration groups • Plains & Midwest (West & East) • Fed, state, RCCs, SCs, tribal, NOAA, academic, RISA, NGO, extension, cities • Build consistency, share information, avoid redundancy, leverage each others skills and resources, planning/prioritizing • Communication: Calls/Webinars & face-to-face meetings • Not necessarily lead but initiate

15. Regional Priorities • Assessments • Assessing regional gaps/needs for climate services (began with agriculture but a ways to go with other sectors) • USDA - AFRI Grant: Education, Extension & Assessment - 5 yr • Contribute to the national USGCRP assessment • TBD - but collecting of climate change impacts and adaptation strategies • Lead/promote national tribal land assessment of climate change & adaptation response past, current and future • Participants: tribal colleges, tribal organizations, feds (USGS, BIA/E, NASA), UCAR, NOAA) • Tribal college instructors and students

16. Regional Priorities • Contribute to partner initiatives, guidance, resources and time • Many meetings many outreach opportunities: • Climate Prediction Application Science Workshop: Des Moines, March 1-4 • Missouri River Natural Resources Collaborative: Nebraska City, March 9-10 • AASC, Asheville, July • Regional Assessment meetings • Various stakeholder meetings (ICLEI, RISA, RCCs, LCCs, CSCs etc..)

19. ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability • http://iclei.org/index.php?id=about • ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments as well as national and regional local government organizations who have made a commitment to sustainable development. • ICLEI was founded in 1990 as the 'International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives'. The Council was established when more than 200 local governments from 43 countries convened at our inaugural conference, the World Congress of Local Governments for a Sustainable Future, at the United Nations in New York.

21. For More Climate Service Information… www.climate.gov • NOAA’s New Climate Portal www.drought.gov climateservice@noaa.gov • New mailbox to address your questions www.ppi.noaa.gov/ngsp • NOAA’s Next Generation Strategic Plan

22. Questions? Thank you! 22

23. CEQ Interagency Task Force 2009 White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and NOAA Currently having public listening sessions, report coming soon USGCRP National Assessment: multi-agency review of impacts and adaptation strategies National Academy of Public Administration Study (NAPA) of NCS completed “strongly supports the creation of a NOAA Climate Service to be established as a line office in NOAA” “is largely in agreement with NOAA about the core elements that should constitute the NCS.” National Climate Initiatives

24. Federal Regional Climate Service Enterprise Connecting Science, Services and People Regional Climate Science • Regional Integrated Science & Assessments (RISA) • NOAA Labs • Sea Grant • Cooperative Institutes • Applied Research Centers • Data Centers • Other agencies (e.g., National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Dept. of Interior, Dept. of Agriculture, National Science Foundation & other USGCRP agencies) • Etc… Regional Climate Services Partnerships • NOAA Regional Climate • Service Programs • Weather Service Regions • Regional Climate Centers • Coastal Services Center • River Forecast Centers • Regional Collaboration Teams • Data Centers • USER ENGAGEMENT • Development, Delivery & Evaluation of Products & Tools • Understanding and Translating User Needs • Informing Program Requirements • Relevant Regional Offices from other agencies (e.g., Environmental Protection Agency, Dept. of Agriculture, Dept. of Interior, • Health and Human Services, • Dept. of Transportation, Dept of Energy, etc.) Government Private Sector Academia NGO’s State and Local Engagement, Education & Service Delivery • Other agencies (e.g., National Science Foundation, Dept. of Education, Health & Human Services, Dept. of Energy, Dept of Interior, Dept of Agriculture) • Dept. of Agriculture Extension • State Climatologists • Federal Protect Area Programs • USGCRP Climate Literacy Partners • Etc… • Weather Forecast Offices • Sea Grant Education & Extension • Marine Sanctuaries, Monuments • & Estuarine Reserves • River Forecast Centers • Data Centers • DOC Commerce Connect (in development)

25. Federal Response to the nation’s climate challenges * * Security Forestry NOAA commits to providing critical assets in science and service to a Federal partnership Water Partnerships & Collaboration NOAA’s Assets Health Information Delivery and Decision Support NOAA uses its national and regional infrastructure to deliver climate services today Infrastructure Assessments of Climate Change and Impacts NOAA is a leader in national and regional climate impact assessments Over 70% of Federal IPCC AR4 WG1 authors were from NOAA Global Land Management Climate Change Research and Modeling Internationally recognized models of the global climate Oceans Climate Observations and Monitoring NOAA operates over 90 observation and monitoring systems NOAA is mandated to monitor and provide access to climate data and information Energy Other *Representative Organizations & Sectors

26. Purpose of the Vision and Strategic Framework • Purpose of the document • To describe how NOAA proposes to respond to society’s growing need for climate services. • To outline an approach to achieving the vision. October 4, 2010

27. Contents of Document • Chapter 1: Importance of a climate service in NOAA • Chapter 2: Strategic Framework (core capabilities, societal challenges, importance of assessments) • Chapter 3: Managing for Success (business practices, partnerships, evaluation of progress) • Appendix A: core capabilities • Appendix B: societal challenges • Appendix C: alignment with National Academy recommendations • Appendix D: alignment with NOAA Next Generation Strategic Plan October 4, 2010

28. NAPA Recommendations • Administration Recommendations • The Administration should take actionable steps to establish an Interagency climate services framework • NOAA should be designated the Lead Agency if an Interagency framework is established • NOAA Organizational Recommendations • A new Climate Service Line Office is the right organizational design choice • Science and service assets should be combined within one Line Office • NAPA’s overall proposed Line Office structure aligns with the NOAA-DOC proposal • NOAA Implementation Recommendations • Establish transitional leadership focused on Implementation and Change Management • Examples of lessons learned from previous large reorganizations from the defense and security communities October 4, 2010

29. Initial Regional Priorities Form a stakeholder steering group comprised of a diverse set of partners to ensure open and sustained dialogue on regional needs Conduct a needs assessment to identify regional vulnerabilities Produce an Action Plan that prioritizes the region’s information needs Support the development of the next National Assessment report in 2013-14 Support the development and the emergence of NOAA’s intent to create a new Climate Service by ensuring there is a two-way dialogue on these important initiatives

30. Building Blocks for the NCS October 4, 2010